Restless Bodies
by LadyIngenue
Summary: The Governor never attacked the prison. Daryl is feeling frustrated and antsy about feelings for Beth he can't quash. Beth feels hemmed in and useless at the prison, and puts herself in danger. Maggie is frightened for Beth and distrusts Daryl and his growing interest in her sister. Rated M for Bethyl smut and language.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! This is my first TWD fan-fiction, inspired by the best almost-couple ever, Bethyl. I hope you like my story. I don't know how long it's going to be yet.**

Daryl stared around the prison yard, frustrated. There was no frickin' _privacy_ in this place. Before the world ended, whenever he'd get frustrated he'd get lit, but that gratification wasn't an option anymore. Nor was the vicious bar-brawl he'd then incite to vent his anger. He didn't miss the drinking and the fighting. He was a different sort of guy now. He had a place with good people and he could hold his own. But he needed to let of steam, and the way he did that now was to pound on some walkers.

He made a bee-line for the perimeter fence and sure enough there were a dozen or more of the fuckers, rattling the fence and doing their relentless throaty hiss. He got out his hunting knife and headed for the gates. He was going outside to face them. Through the fence was the easy way to do it. He wanted it the hard way today.

While he cut the walkers down he numbered his frustrations. His bike was playing up, and no matter how many hours he devoted to it he just couldn't get it to run right. Judith had been screaming all through the night and no one had been able to console her, not even Beth.

And Beth. She was the biggest pain in his ass. He could just imagine the hurt in those big blue eyes if she knew he thought of her that way. She was this weird combo of vulnerability and flint and he couldn't make her out. Her little boyfriends would get bit and die and she didn't flicker, but if Judith was crying or her sister was upset, or if he was pissed off about something, those doe-eyes would appear and he wouldn't be able to think straight for hours.

She was nice to him. What the hell?

When all the walkers were dead Daryl stalked back to the cells, covered in blood and sweat and breathing hard. The girl had no right to look at him that way, or smile at him. No damn right.

By sundown Daryl was almost in a good mood again. The late afternoon was cool and golden and he had the rare luxury at being at a loose end. He glanced toward the perimeter fence. Just a couple of walkers at the wire. And a lone figure holding a crowbar.

He recognised that lean body and blonde ponytail. What the hell was she doing just standing there doing nothing? As he watched she brought the bar up, hesitated, and brought it down again. Daryl chuckled to himself and walked down to the fence, his arms swinging.

'You're thinking about it too much,' he called when he was about thirty feet away. She looked up, her expression annoyed as he closed the gap between them.

She turned those big blue eyes on him. 'I'm not thinking about it too much. I'm working out the best way to do it.'

'It ain't rocket science. Just hold it up and shove.'

She turned back to the fence, raised the bar and pushed it at the walker standing right in front of her. She missed.

Daryl snorted with laughter. 'What are you doing out here, anyway? Is this fodder for your diary? "Dear Diary, today I killed my very own walker,"' he mocked. He saw her jaw tighten and felt ashamed for making fun of her. 'You know, you could have asked me to show you how. I would have helped,' he said, serious now.

She shot him a narrow look. 'Why, so you could mock me even more?'

His hand twisted at his side, wanting to reach out to her, but resisting it at the same time. He should apologise, but having her angry at him might be the solution to his problem. She wasn't looking at him with soft eyes now.

He turned and stalked away.

'Only people who can survive have any worth,' she called after him. 'You know that as well as I do.'

He stopped in his tracks, thinking. Something clicked in his mind. He turned back. 'Is that why you didn't cry over your little boyfriends? Because once they were dead they were worthless? Beth, you can't think like that.'

'What, like how the rest of you think, you mean? I ain't some Disney princess that you all get to keep safe so you feel better about the crappy things you have to do. I'm a throwback to before. I'm useless, and I'm sick of it.'

'Why are you so anxious to change?' he asked, his voice rough with feeling. 'You're young. You got years ahead of you to collect bad memories and get callous and damaged like the rest of us. Some people might like keeping you safe. Makes 'em feel good.'

She hurled the crowbar onto the grass. 'I ain't here to make other people feel good.'

He could see tears shining in her eyes.

'Well, you do make people feel good,' he said, 'whether you like it or not.' He stalked back up the hill, leaving standing at the fence.

The next morning Daryl finally got his bike fixed and roared out of camp. He needed to push the engine on a long ride to be sure it was sound. And he needed to get far away from Beth. What the hell had possessed him to say that she made people feel good? The girl wasn't an idiot – she was going to guess he meant him. He was probably diary fodder by now, he thought cynically.

Then he tamped the thought down. Being nasty and dumb wasn't who he was anymore. He knew how to handle his frustrations, and while Beth added to them, she was also one of the things that made this whole shitty situation worthwhile.

The main thing, if he was honest.

He didn't need to kiss her, or hold her in his arms. He didn't need to know what it would be like to run his fingers up the back of her neck and into that thick blonde hair. He'd thought about it, that was for sure. Late at night when everyone was asleep, and there was nothing but his thoughts to keep him occupied. Sure beat thinking about the walkers and all the dead things he'd seen. Sure beat thinking about before, too, and the beatings he used to catch and the loner he'd grown up to be.

Thinking about her pretty smile was all her needed. Nothing else. All he needed was to know that she was there, at the camp, with him knowing she was safe.

Daryl came to a flat stretch of road, gunned the engine and it let out a roar as he tore along the bitumen.

He was on his way back to camp when a couple of walkers crossed in front of him. They staggered with purpose. That could only mean one thing: they'd seen something, maybe someone. He cut the engines and listened.

A scream rent the air. Daryl was off his bike and running, pulling his crossbow off his lap. He thought he'd recognised that scream. He prayed he hadn't.

There was a flash of blonde hair in the trees, and he doubled his speed. 'Get away from her, you fucking biters,' he yelled, hoping to distract the half-dozen walkers that were surrounding Beth. As he watched she brought her long, heavy knife down on the skull of a walker, and down it went. She staggered under the weight of the weapon, clearly awkward holding it but fear making her determined. He fired three bolts in quick succession and down another three went down. One of the remaining walkers snagged Beth's t-shirt in its clawed hand and its teeth snapped shut close to her ear. To her credit she didn't scream, but she couldn't do anything else, either, as off-balance as she was. Daryl yanked his knife from his belt, lunged, and thrust the blade through the walker's eye. The last one grabbed him from behind, its teeth snapping. He elbowed it in the face with all his strength and down it went. He was on it at once, his knee on its chest as he drove the blade into its skull.

Daryl stood, breathing hard. He looked at Beth standing in a circle of dead walkers with her hands bloodied. He hurled his knife on the grass.

'Jesus fucking Christ. Jesus fucking Christ,' he said, clenching his fists and turning away from her. She could have been killed. She would have been killed if he hadn't stopped when he'd seen those walkers.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Beth bend down and wipe the blade of her knife on the grass, her hands shaking. She was scared. Good. She needed to remember that feeling next time she felt like running off into the forest alone. What the hell had she been thinking? Was this his fault for making fun of her at the fence?

'You going to yell at me?' she asked in a tremulous voice. He glanced up at those big, round eyes. He didn't yell at women, so that wasn't an option. But he couldn't speak calmly to her either, not in the state he was in. It would be better for both of them if he just kept his mouth shut.

'No,' he said tightly. 'But your daddy and sister are going to do that till your ears bleed when you get back. Come on.' He snatched up his crossbow and knife and stalked back to his bike. He swung a leg over the seat and sat down. 'Get on,' he growled when she appeared at his side.

She hesitated. 'I just wanted to –'

He fixed her with a steely look. If she prodded him and made him talk he wasn't going to be able to hold himself back. She'd been so incredibly stupid and he could hardly keep a hold on all the things he wanted to say to her. Sure, she was probably going through some shit. She probably wouldn't have survived for this long if it hadn't been for her daddy keeping her on that farm and inside that house. But instead of being grateful for that she was acting like a brat.

She shook her head. 'You wouldn't understand.'

That needled him. 'No. I wouldn't.' He ground out the words through his teeth. 'I didn't think it was possible for anyone to be spoiled in a world like this, but I was wrong. You ain't got no gratitude. You're selfish.'

Her mouth fell open. 'Selfish? I'm trying to do my bit. That's why I came out here.'

'And you nearly got yourself killed. You've got family. What do you think it would do to them if you showed up at the fence as a walker, bits hanging off you? Don't you see that having people who love you is a responsibility, not a privilege?'

Beth folded her arms. 'You've sure thought about this a lot for someone like you.'

His eyes narrowed. 'Someone like me? And what's that?'

Her face turned an angry pink colour and she looked down. 'I have my family. Carl has Rick,' she muttered.

'And I don't have anyone?' Like he needed that pointed out to him.

She didn't answer.

'You're right. I don't have anyone. I never did. That's meant I've had to rely on myself with no one to look out for me.'

'You're lucky,' she said in a small voice.

He got off his bike. 'What the hell are you talking about, girl? You think I'm lucky?'

She flung her arms wide. 'You're free! You know who you are. You live in this world without fear.'

How wrong she was. When he'd seen her surrounded by walkers he'd never been so afraid in his life. But this wasn't about him, it was about her. So, she was afraid. He could understand that. Some of his temper cooled as he looked at her. She was a good person. One of the best, really. She'd gone through some shitty times and had the scars on her wrists to prove it, but she never felt sorry for herself or brought anyone else down. Never hurt anybody. He thought about his own scars, inside and out. He wished he could say the same thing about himself.

But she was letting her fear make her do dumb things, and he needed to put a stop to that. 'Everyone's afraid. Not everyone's stupid.' But he said this lightly and was rewarded with a small smile. 'What say I teach you some things properly? Shooting. How to work the fence.' As soon as he said it he wished he could take it back. Was he forgetting how restless and distracted she made him feel? Besides, it wasn't on him to teach the girl. He had shit to do, and he didn't know how her daddy and sister would take it if he taught Beth how to be a killer. They seemed to like her inside with the baby.

She looked up at him, her blue eyes wide.

Oh, Christ …

'Really, you'd do that? Without making fun of me?'

She looked so eager that he didn't have it in him to take it back. What the hell was she doing to him? 'If you like,' he said gruffly. Maybe she'd lose interest in a day or two. 'Now come on, I'm taking you back.'

They both got back on the bike. Beth sat close behind him, her hands resting lightly on his waist. He drove slowly, wishing that they were miles from camp and he could spend hours like this, with the wind in his hair and this girl behind him. She had a real spark, he realised. He wondered how long it would last until this world beat it out of her again.

Sooner than he wanted they were riding through the prison gates and up to the prison yard. Beth got off the bike but one of her hands stayed resting on the leather covering his muscled ribs. He half turned toward her, looking up at her. She was so close. He knew that if he put her arms around her, pulled her close to him, he could steal a kiss from her soft mouth. He was thinking about it. He was sure thinking about it.

'Beth?'

Beth started, dropping her hand and looking round. Maggie was standing in the doorway to the cell blocks, her arms folded and a look of stark disapproval on her face. 'Do you wanna come here, please?'

'O-Okay,' Beth said, her cheeks flushing red.

Daryl ground his teeth. What right did Maggie have to embarrass Beth like that? They hadn't done anything wrong. He'd just thought about kissing her. He hadn't actually done it, and he wouldn't have done it.

Beth disappeared inside and Maggie stepped forward. 'What was she doing on your bike?'

'We were on a run.' Better that Maggie didn't know the truth. There was no harm done, and Maggie would go ballistic at her sister if she found out.

Maggie's eyes narrowed. 'I don't see any supplies. Beth didn't have any either. Where did you go?'

Daryl swung off his bike and kicked down the stand. She was really starting to irritate him, but he held his temper in check. Maggie was just protective, same as him. 'Just around,' he said, fixing her with a hard look.

Back off, lady.

That shut her up, but only for a moment. He saw his expression had made her angrier than ever. She nodded slowly. 'I've got your measure, Daryl Dixon.'

He stepped toward her. 'What the hell is that supposed to mean?'

The elder Greene sister could look real unpleasant when she wanted to. 'You're an opportunist. You probably couldn't believe your luck when the world ended. Suddenly you're not at the bottom of the heap anymore. You're at the top.' She glanced meaningfully at the crossbow strapped to his back, the bike, the muscles of his exposed arms.

Damn, she could talk real unpleasant, too.

'You would never have looked twice at a girl like Beth before.'

No, he wouldn't have. Because never would have crossed path with a girl like Beth before. She grew up in a big fancy house that he'd never even felt like he had a right to step into. He was redneck through and through. A scrapper. A survivor. Maggie was right. He didn't like it, but this world was made for him. This twisted, violent world. What the hell did that say about him?

Maggie went on, 'And I don't like you looking at her now. Beth's young, and she's barely coping, but you thrive in this world, and that makes me think twice about you. I saw what was in your eyes just now. You were going to take advantage of her vulnerability.'

Daryl curled his fingers into fists but didn't say anything. He would never do anything so despicable. He wouldn't.

'We can never go back to the way it was before but that's no reason screw with the natural order of things.' Maggie emphasised her words with a long, hard look that cut straight to Daryl's core. Then she went inside.

Daryl turned back to his bike. She was right. Beth wasn't for him. When he used his head he knew that. Trouble was, he wasn't much good at using his head around Beth, and Maggie knew it. Fuck, he was in trouble.

 **So what did you think? I hope you liked it, please leave me a comment with your thoughts positive or critical. Should I make this a long story or just a couple of chapters? I have a few ideas for it.**


	2. Chapter 2

'What were you thinking, going out on a run with him? Daddy and I didn't say that you could.'

Beth looked up at her sister, confused. 'I wasn't on a run.' She blurted the words out without thinking and then could have kicked herself. Daryl must have told Maggie it was a run so as to not get her into trouble. 'I mean –'

Maggie sat down on the bunk bed next to Beth. They were in Beth's cell and all Beth wanted to do was have a few moments privacy to herself and try to fathom what that look in Daryl's eyes had meant when she'd got off his bike.

'You weren't? Where were you then? Did he take you out?'

'What do you mean, take me out? You make it sound like he kidnapped me. I went out by myself.' It was sweet of Daryl to try to cover for her, but didn't he see that was making it worse? She didn't want him to protect her. All anyone did was try to protect her and it was driving her nuts.

Maggie stared at her. 'Why the hell would you go and do a thing like that? There are walkers out there.'

Beth rolled her eyes. 'I know there are. I took a knife. I wanted to dispatch some for myself. Know what it felt like for the rest of you.'

Maggie stood up and turned away. 'I don't know what's got into you these days. It's like you've got a death wish or something.'

'You're wrong. It's just the opposite. I want to live and y'all won't let me. Defending the prison, going on runs. That's the sort of person that everyone needs. And when this place gets overrun –'

'It ain't gonna get overrun,' Maggie protested.

Beth gave her sister a dark look. 'That's what everyone said about the farm. I want to be prepared

Maggie looked exasperated. 'Where did this all come from so suddenly? It's him, isn't it. He's been puttin' ideas into your head, scarin' you. Makin' you think you've gotta be like him.'

'Daryl? No, he ain't. He barely talks to me. I admire him, that's all. He ain't dead weight in this group. He holds his own.'

'What you do for us is vital, Beth. We can't all be fighters. We need different sorts of people.'

Beth fixed her with a look. 'Then why don't you stay home with the baby sometimes?'

…

Daryl found Maggie in the prison yard cleaning a stack of guns in the late afternoon. He could tell from the twist of her mouth that she was in a sour mood, and guessed it was because of him.

'Maggie –'

'Why did you lie to me?' she said without looking up from the shotgun she was cleaning.

He took half a step back. Damn. Beth had told her it wasn't a run, or accidentally blurted it out. Girl had no guile. 'I didn't want you bawlin' her out. She'd had a scare. I'd talked to her. She weren't gonna do anything like that again.'

'Looked like you were thinkin' about more than talkin' when I saw you. I know that look in a man's eye. Ain't never seen it in yours, though, and the last person I expected to see you givin' it to was my baby sister.'

'She ain't a baby,' he said, thinking about that walker she'd killed. But he knew he'd said the wrong thing when Maggie glared up at him.

'What the hell do you mean by that?'

'Nothin'. Look, I ain't here to argue with you. I have a suggestion that'll make these problems go away.'

'I'm listenin',' she said.

'Teach her some skills. Teach her to use a knife, a gun. You teach her, get Rick to teach her, doesn't matter. I told her I would but I'm guessing that wouldn't sit well with you.' He reasoned that if Beth felt like she could defend herself if the worst happened she'd stop these crazy hijinks and settle down again.

'You guessed right,' she snapped.

Maggie went on cleaning her gun and was silent for several minutes. Daryl waited. He had all the time in the world.

'All right,' Maggie said finally. 'On one condition.'

Daryl looked at her, frowning. He hadn't come to strike a bargain. He'd come with a solution. 'What is it?' he asked, wary.

'I'll see that she's taught if you stay away from her. Right away. No talkin'. No joyrides on that bike of yours. No little chats at the fence. And if I even see you near her cell I'll shove that crossbow of yours somewhere the sun don't shine.'

Maggie's threat would have been funny if it wasn't Beth's life they were talking about. 'You think that's fair on Beth, you bargaining for her welfare? If you don't teach her how to defend herself she could die. You want that on yourself?'

'It'd be on you, Daryl. Do we have a deal?'

Maggie was like a tigress protecting her cub, and she couldn't see that her protection was actually harming the girl, not helpin' her.

'How am I supposed to keep away from her in a place like this? We're livin' on top of each other.'

Maggie put the cleaned shotgun aside and picked up a revolver. 'Ain't my problem. You figure it out. We had none of these problems with Beth until she started noticing you. I don't know what you did to catch her eye, but it stops now.'

Maggie was asking the impossible. He didn't know what he'd done to provoke Beth, if it was even something he'd done at all. He'd protected the group, that was all. Minded his own business. Sure he'd talked to the girl. They all had. Maybe he'd seen somethin' soft in her eyes and he'd liked it. But he hadn't acted on it and he wasn't going to.

Maggie was asking him to shun the girl. It'd hurt her. It'd hurt him, too. Seein' the girl, bein' close to her. Made all this other shit worthwhile.

'I can't do that. I ain't touched the girl and I don't intend to. Ain't nothin' we're doing wrong and you shouldn't make her feel like she is. We're just livin' like the rest of you.'

Maggie looked up at him, eyes narrowed. 'Well, then. I guess we got a problem.'

…

Daryl hadn't patrolled the maze of empty corridors and rooms beyond their living space for a week now, and he wanted to check that no walkers had got inside. There wasn't much light and there was no sound, but he could do with some peace and privacy.

He'd reached a stalemate with Maggie, but the worst part of it was it was Beth who was going to suffer. Maybe he should talk to Hershel about her. Hershel would be objective about things, not be clouded by fear and prejudice. Beth deserved better.

He'd been going for about twenty minutes when he heard a sounds. Not much, just a faint scuffle behind him back round a corner. He paused, listening. Could be a rat. Could be a walker. He turned round and waited, crossbow raised.

A figure rounded the corner in the dim light. He expected the hiss and rasp of a walker that had sighted its prey, but instead he heard, 'Daryl?'

He cussed and lowered his crossbow. 'Coulda shot you, girl. What the hell are you doing down here?'

Beth stepped toward him. 'I was looking for you.'

'You found me. Now turn around and go back up to the cells.'

'Are you patrolling? I'll come with you. Back-up,' she said, showing him the knife at her belt.

'Your sister wouldn't like it. She's warned me off you.'

Beth's eyes widened. 'Warned you off? Why?'

'She thinks I'm the reason you're actin' out this way. I don't know why you're actin' out. Sure like to though so I can get her off my back.'

Beth thought about this. 'I – I guess it is because of you.'

Even in the dim light he could see her turn red.

God damn. A girl had never blushed over him in his life. The sorta women he'd spent time with before were jaded, hard women. Bar-flies. Strippers. Women who didn't talk much but could screw real good and wouldn't say nothing when he left in the middle of the night. Since the end of the world he'd not touched a woman, but he hadn't missed those ones. Even the thought of one in fuck-me heels and too much eyeliner round her hard eyes was a turn-off.

But there was nothing hard about Beth. She was like an open book. A draft of sweet water on a hot day. She talked too much and hummed and sang wherever she went, but he sorta liked hearing her about the place. He wondered what it would be like to have her humming one of her little songs while he kissed her throat.

Daryl caught himself. Those were exactly the sort of thoughts that he shouldn't be having.

He pointed a finger at her. 'This, this is what your sister is afraid of. You lookin' at me like that and me losing my head and doing somethin' stupid. I will do somethin' stupid. I can feel myself wanting to.'

She gave a little half-shrug. 'What would be stupid?' But there was a smile on her face and a knowing look in her eye, one that shouldn't be there in someone so inexperienced. He'd bet his crossbow and leather vest that she was still a virgin.

He stepped closer. 'You look me in the eye and tell me that you ain't just acting out with me like some sort of bratty teenager. Don't use me to piss your sister off, Beth. You picked the right guy. I will do that and more, but it's fuckin' low.'

'I don't know what I'm doing,' she whispered. 'I ain't using you, I swear. I just feel like you'd understand.'

His eyes narrowed. 'Understand what?'

She looked down at her wrist and the silvery white scar lines caught the dim light. 'To be afraid to rely on people. To feel like no one could save you.'

He understood that all right. He hadn't relied on one single soul since his mother had died. The fire had burned it outta him. He'd never even relied on Merle, though he'd looked to him for the answer to how to live his life. Turned out Merle didn't know shit about living life but it wasn't till after the world ended that Daryl had realised this and started living for himself.

'You used your fear to become who you are,' she went on. 'Strong. Skilled. I let my fear overtake me. But was there a moment when you looked around yourself and thought, this is screwed? There's no coming back from this? No surviving? And in that moment did you know you had a choice: to tell those voices to shut the hell up and fight harder, longer, or to give into those voices and lay down and die?'

This was getting into dangerous territory. This was deep stuff, things he didn't even talk to himself about. No one had ever asked him a question like that before and he wouldn't have answered it if they had. But there was something about that dark tunnel with not another soul around but Beth, and those big, blue eyes looking up at him.

'I know you have. You don't need to answer,' she said. 'It's a connection between us. I need that connection with someone, and I have it with you.'

'Hell, Beth. You don't know what you're asking.'

'I'm just asking you to talk to me. To tell me how you ignore those voices that are telling you to give up. Because I hear them still. I'm fighting them, but I obviously ain't doing it right if I've got everyone pissed with me.'

No, she wasn't doing it right at all. She was going to get them both into deep shit. 'That ain't all you're asking, is it?' he said roughly.

That little half-shrug again. God damn.

He lifted his free hand, slowly, hesitatingly, and let the backs of his fingers just touch her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. Her lips were parted and hell, how he wanted to taste them. There was something so sweet and pure about her and he wanted it for himself. He was hungry for it, and here she was offering herself up on a plate.

He dropped his hand. He wanted it too badly that he couldn't think straight. He'd forgotten all the reasons that this was a bad idea and that was dangerous ground.

'Whatever it is you need,' he growled. 'This ain't the fuckin' answer. Now get the hell upstairs while I still have my wits.' He reached out and pushed her. Not hard, and his hand found her hip and moulded to it even as he pushed her away.

She didn't move. He pushed her again but found himself even closer to her somehow. She reach up both her hands to his shoulders and shoved him, but not in a get away gesture. More what you gonna do about it?

He pushed her right back, hard, against the wall of the tunnel, his body pressed against hers. His crossbow fell from his fingers and one hand ended up at the back of her neck and the other on her ass. His mouth found hers in a hard, demanding kiss, and he pulled her even closer, feeling her breasts against his chest and her hips tight against his. Soft in his arms. Pliable. Like she was giving herself to him.

She moaned and kissed him back, opening her mouth. His tongue found hers, invading her mouth. Wanting to go deeper. Making him think about fucking her, hard and brutally, watching her lose it as he drove himself home.

He broke the kiss and stepped back, breathing hard. His hands gripped her shoulders, holding her away from him against the wall.

'Jesus fuck. I gotta stop otherwise I ain't gonna be able to in a minute.'

She was panting, tendrils of her blonde hair loose around her face. 'No one's ever kissed me like that before, Mr Daryl Dixon. I don't care if you don't stop.'

He snatched up his crossbow. 'You're going that way,' he said, pointing back toward D block. I'm going that way.' The opposite way, deeper into the corridors where he could work this shit off.

She smiled at him and nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear. It was just too damn sweet and his free arm went around her waist and pulled her to him. He kissed her again, softly this time, and breathed in her warm, sunny scent. He'd never known anything like it. Her fingers smoothed up his chest and tangled in his hair and her body arched toward his.

He felt himself throb in response. A few more seconds of that would be downright dangerous. He stepped back. 'Go on. Get.' But he was smiling as he said it.

With another blush that turned her face adorably pink she smiled at him and then walked up the corridor to the cells. He watched her go, feeling lighter somehow. Frustrated as hell, but it was a good feeling that he wouldn't swap for anything.

He patrolled the lower parts of the prison for another hour and didn't find any walkers, telling himself he was stupid, an idiot, but feeling like nothing could touch him just the same.

When he came back to D block Rick was there. He wasn't doing anything, just standing there as if he'd been waiting for Daryl.

Rick folded his arms and levelled his heavy gaze at Daryl. 'We've got a problem.'


	3. Chapter 3

The prison council were sat round the table: Hershel, Glenn, Rick – and Maggie. Daryl stood before them, arms folded. No way was he gonna sit down with them like this was some friendly chat.

'I ain't bein' ambushed by y'all. I'll talk to Rick.'

Hershel cleared his throat. 'Rick isn't in charge any more. This is a council, and we all agreed on it. Even you.'

Daryl was supposed to be _on_ the damn council. He shook his head, remaining firm. 'I ain't discussing my personal business with y'all.'

'You made it our business when you kissed my sister,' Maggie said, her voice tight with anger.

Daryl pointed a finger at her. 'She ain't even on the council. I haven't committed a crime. I haven't hurt anybody. If someone feels the need to point something out to me I'll listen to that person, but I ain't standing here being lectured by y'all. You gonna be deciding who can hook up with who now?' He glared round at them. 'Do you remember when Beth got in a stink when Maggie and Glenn started gettin' close? I sure as hell don't.'

Glenn looked down as the table. At least one person in the room had the decency to be ashamed.

But to his surprise, it was Hershel that spoke up in his defence. 'He's right. If I look at this objectively rather than as a father, we got no business calling a meeting over this.' He looked over at Rick. 'I trust you to have a discussion with Daryl and work out this disagreement.'

'Daddy, no –'

But Maggie was silenced with a raised hand. 'Let's all be about our business,' Hershel said, standing up.

The council left the room, Hershel giving Daryl a stern look, Glenn not meeting his eye and Maggie hurling daggers with hers.

'Sit down, Daryl.' Rick indicated the seat opposite him.

Daryl still didn't like this, but he sat.

Rick gave him a wry smile. 'You're a dark horse, aren't you? Maggie says this flirtation between you and Beth has been going on for some time, but I ain't noticed a thing.'

'Ain't been a flirtation. I ain't a teenager.'

'No, but she is. I know things can't be the same as they were before. We're a small group. Attractions will arise maybe where they normally wouldn't have before all this happened. Nothing wrong with that that I can see.' His expression became serious. 'But Maggie's concerned that you're talking advantage of a vulnerable girl.'

'I told Maggie I wouldn't take advantage of her vulnerability. She's ain't vulnerable. Scared, sure. Pissed off. Bored. She wanted me to kiss her so I did.'

Rick gave him a dry look. 'We both know that just because a girl wants you to kiss her doesn't mean you should.'

Daryl couldn't help the smile that formed as he said, 'Real hard not to when she's pretty like Beth.'

Rick looked stern. 'Is that all she is to you, a pretty girl?'

Daryl thought about this for a long time. He'd seen that Beth was pretty from the get-go. He'd thought her weak, too, but he'd been wrong. As she'd sowed her strength his admiration for her had grown. Prettiness wasn't enough to cut it with him. He wanted a girl who could stand up for herself, but also have a lightness about her spirit. 'No.'

'And what are you to her? Does she like you?'

Daryl remembered the feel of her in his arms. The way she'd gasped as he'd kissed her. 'Sure seemed so.'

'Has it crossed your mind that she may be acting out to piss off her sister?'

Rick sure was perceptive for someone who said he hadn't noticed the tension between him and Beth. 'It has. I said it to her face. She swore it wasn't that. I believe her, though she's been acting out in other ways. Going outside the fence alone. Wants to prove herself.'

Rick thought about this for a long moment. 'I've talked to Hershel about getting her some training and getting out doing physical stuff for the group. He's come round and decided it's a good idea.'

'Maggie told me it was conditional on me keeping away from Beth.'

Rick looked annoyed. 'Maggie's not the one to make that call. Do you think you should stay away from Beth?'

Should? Probably. Would? That was another matter. 'I don't know. I don't really work like that. If something happens, then it happens.'

'You mean you ain't taking responsibility if you hurt the girl?'

'Didn't say that. Last thing I want to do is hurt Beth. I just mean that I don't plan my life down to the tiniest scrap.' He was silent for a moment. 'I want her to be happy.'

Rick nodded. 'That counts for a lot in my book.'

Daryl felt a flicker of anger. Did it, now. It pissed him off that Rick thought he had the right to approve or otherwise of what he did with who. Maggie he understood. Those two sisters looked out for one another and while he didn't like getting bawled out in the prison yard by her at least it was from the heart. Everyone else was just sticking their noses in where they didn't belong.

'Well ain't I glad to hear it,' he said, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

Rick gave him a long look. 'I know you don't like this. Neither do I. But we gotta keep the peace in here, united against what's out there. I'm going to talk to Beth next and see what she has to say about all of this, and then I'm going to call the council together again.'

'Knock yourself out,' Daryl growled, standing up and stalking out of the room.

…

Rick found Beth in the cells with Judith. They were sitting at the table, Beth dandling the baby on her knee. 'Beth, honey, can I have a word with you?'

She turned those big blue eyes on him and smiled. 'Sure.'

Rick sat down. She was a real pretty slip of a thing. He'd never paid much attention before but he could see what'd make a man brave Maggie's wrath to kiss her. But what did Daryl see in her that made it worthwhile putting up with all this fall-out? He could see that Maggie kicking up a stink was making him uncomfortable. He'd expected Daryl to decide she wasn't worth the trouble and cut her loose. But he was wrong it seemed. He didn't know Daryl's type or what made him tick. That the entire time they'd spent together Rick'd never seen him with a woman.

Beth had had some dark periods, but she'd come through them. He had a feeling that there was more to the girl that met the eye.

'I suppose you know your sister's pissed with you.'

Beth cast her eyes briefly to the ceiling, still smiling. 'Don't I know it. Came at me like a wildcat when I came back to the cells. Seems to have it in her head that Daryl's trying to take advantage of me.'

Rick wasn't sure where to go next. Talking with Daryl had been easy. That'd been man to man. Obligations. Duties. Right and wrong. How the hell did you have that same talk with a girl? He looked at Judith. Was she going to cause boy-trouble when she grew up? He bit the inside his lip, trying not to smile at the though of Daryl being 'boy-trouble'.

'Daryl's not exactly the sort of young man you usually … get involved with. He ain't that young, either.'

'No, he ain't, on both accounts. Is that a problem for you?'

Her words were challenging but her tone was all sweetness. Christ, he should have guessed she was going to turn this around on him. He held up both hands. 'I ain't here to tell you what you should and shouldn't do –'

'Okay,' she said brightly, and turned her attention to the baby.

'Beth, honey, I haven't finished. I want you to think about what you do.'

'I've got all the time in the world to think in this place,' she said, sighing.

'I think that is part of the problem. I've talked to Hershel and he's agreed you should have some weapons training and some different duties. Keep your mind busy. Make you feel like you're contributing more.'

She looked at him. 'Thank you, Rick. I'd like that.'

Rick nodded. 'Okay, then.' Well, that was something. Enough to appease Maggie? Perhaps. It depended on what Daryl did next. And Beth. He wondered just how far their attraction had led them, and how far they planned to take it. He didn't think Daryl was the sort of man to be happy just holding her hand.

He had to admire Beth. She'd stuck to her guns and got what she wanted. Maybe that would be all it would take to make this whole Daryl issue go away. It could be that she'd staged this Daryl flirtation so Maggie and Hershel would see that weapons training was the lesser of two evils.

'Can Daryl teach me?'

Or maybe not.

'I think it's better if I teach you.'

She shrugged. 'Okay.'

Rick left the room feeling like this problem wasn't just going to go away by itself.

He passed Daryl on his way outside and collared him. 'That girl's sure got a way about her. Acts all sweetness and light and makes you think she's doing exactly what you want but when it's done and you walk away you realise it's the other way round.'

Daryl thought about the way she shoved him in the corridors. Beth could have easily kissed him in that moment but she'd chosen not to. She'd provoked him instead, making him be the one to kiss her. He shook his head, smiling wryly. 'Tell me 'bout it.'

'I don't think she's backing down from whatever she wants, and if that's you then you're gonna have your hands full with that girl.'

Daryl shoved his thumbs into the waistband of his jeans. 'That little thing? I can handle her.'

Rick snorted. 'Yeah. Sure. Look, whatever happens, keep it low profile, okay?'

Daryl narrowed his eyes at Rick. 'You mean if I fuck her keep the noise down?'

Jesus Christ, Daryl was direct. Rick didn't suppose it was a matter of if. More a matter of when. Maggie was going to flip if they rubbed her nose in it. Hershel wasn't going to like it either. He was a father, and he tried to imagine Judith grown and carrying on with someone as mouthy, rough and dangerous as Daryl. And twice her age. He'd probably flip. Daryl was a good guy, one of the best he'd ever met, but a father's eyes didn't see any of that.

There was never a moment of goddamn peace in this place.

Rick pushed past Daryl and shouldered the door open. 'I wasn't going to put it quite that crassly, but yeah, seeing as you mention it, keep the goddamn noise down.'

…

Daryl was sitting at a metal bench in the prison yard, his back to the table, making new crossbow bolts when Beth found him. She stood beside him, watching his hands.

'Did Rick talk to you, too? Kinda weird, wasn't it,' she asked.

'Fuckin' humiliating, that's what it was,' Daryl muttered, looking down the shaft of a bolt to make sure it was straight.

'Does it make you regret what we did?'

He looked her up and down. 'Makes me think you're more trouble that you're worth. Makes me think if you're anything like your sister I'm in deep shit. Makes me wanna sit you on that pretty behind of yours on the council table and kiss you right in front of that goddamn council.'

She bit her lip, smiling, and he felt something lurch deep inside him. Goddamn, she was something else. 'Do you know no one thinks this is a good idea but you?'

'What about you?'

He laughed. 'Oh I know it ain't a good idea.' He reached up and hooked a finger over the vee of her shirt. 'C'mere, trouble.'

They were out in the open. People would probably see. Well, fuck, let 'em. He kissed her.

...

Daryl was just about done with his bolts and Beth had wandered off to check on Judith when he heard a car approach the gates. Glenn and Sasha back from a run. But when they drove up to the yard and got out of the car their faces were pinched with worry.

'Where's Rick?' Sasha asked.

'And Hershel? We need to get the council together,' Glenn added.

'They're inside. What's happened?'

'Herd,' Sasha said, heading inside. She threw over her shoulder, 'Massive herd of walkers, and they're coming this way.'


	4. Chapter 4

'We were on the highway seven miles north of here,' Sasha said. 'Could see 'em a few miles up the road, heading this way.'

Rick was listening with his head bowed, deep in thought, hands on hips. Daryl saw Maggie sidle up to Glenn and put her hand in his. He glanced at the light filtering in through the cell windows. It'd be dark soon.

'How many?' Michonne asked.

Sasha shook her head in a helpless gesture. 'Hundreds.'

'We couldn't make out the back of the herd,' Glenn added. 'Road's too flat, and they were in the woods as well.'

Hershel came forward with a map and spread it out on the table. 'Show us.'

Glenn and Sasha pointed out the spot on the highway and everyone crowded round to see. Daryl cursed under his breath. That road led straight to the prison. They'd be surrounded. Overrun.

'Walking pace is about three miles an hour,' Rick muttered. 'Walker pace is about half that in a herd. They'll be on us in thirteen, fourteen hours.'

'So we prepare ourselves and we fight,' Carol said.

Rick glanced at Sasha and Glenn. Sasha shook her head. 'Fences won't hold. There are too many.'

A pall of gloom descended on the cells. They all knew what this meant. They'd have to leave, and immediately. Abandon their plans to plant crops, maybe find a few farm animals. There was good hunting in the woods and Daryl had a half-dozen or so cars in the yard that he was working on. Moving on wasn't such a big deal to him but there were kids in the group. Babies.

And Beth. She'd liked it here, he was sure. Restless, yeah, but not restless that she wanted to leave. And he liked her there, safe. She was scrappy, and was learning how to take care of herself, but he liked it better that there was a barrier between her and what was out there.

Rick sighed, rubbing the scruffy hair at the back of his head. 'How many cars we got working?'

Glenn spoke up. 'Wait a sec. What if we didn't have to leave? What if we create a distraction and led them away?'

'Have to be a helluva distraction,' Daryl said.

'What about a fire?' Glenn suggested. 'We've used that before. They're distracted by colour, movement.'

'Works with a few,' Carol said doubtfully. 'Would it work on a whole herd?'

'How about we get in our cars and lead them away that way?' Maggie suggested. 'Make noise, use flares, the car horns.'

Rick nodded. 'I like that. Both ideas.'

'We could try,' Hershel said, looking round at the council members. 'It'd be worth it to try. We ain't likely to find another place so well fortified.'

One by one they all nodded. Daryl could see on their faces that they wanted to defend their home.

'All right, then,' Rick said. 'We're gonna need anything that makes a noise for the leading crew. Pots, pans, fireworks, anything. For the crew that sets the fire we're gonna need all the petrol we can spare. Engine oil too. Siphon it off the generator in the basement. The fire crew, you're gonna drive a few miles out of camp, work out which way the wind's blowing, and drive in that direction at least ten miles. Last thing we want is a wildfire racing back here. Three cars, two, maybe three people in each. Fan out, set the fire in a line. The leading crew, everyone else: two people per car. Y'all are going to draw the herd toward where the fire'll be set. One person to drive, the other to make noise. Have to be noise, cos it'll be dark. We'll need you on at least two roads leading toward the fire, more if we can. Any volunteers?'

'There's a pan and a ladle in the kitchen with my name on it,' Maggie said.

Rick grinned at her. 'Good start. Anyone else?'

'Got my bike,' Daryl said. 'Noisy enough on its own. I'll be in the leading crew.'

'Me too.' A voice piped up from behind them and they all turned. Beth, holding Judith.

'We're gonna need you to stay here with Judith,' Rick said. 'Carl and Hershel, too. Maybe one other.'

'You think that's wise?' Michonne asked. 'If we can't distract the herd do we really want people trapped here right in their path?'

Rick thought about this. 'All right. One more car goes with the fire crew, but it doesn't stop when the fire's being set. It keeps driving. Keeps out of danger.'

'Outta danger?' Daryl asked, doubt heavy in his voice. Sounded like a fuckin' terrible idea, their most vulnerable people in one car all by themselves.

'Daryl's right,' Carol said. 'Nowhere's going to be safe. Judith, Carl and Beth are better off with the leading crew. We should stay together as much as possible.'

Everyone turned back to Rick, but Daryl watched Beth. He didn't think she was going to be happy about being lumped in with Carl and Judith. He was right. Her face pinched with frustration. She wasn't vulnerable like the two younger ones. People just hadn't got out of the habit of thinking that way yet. Hell, he still thought about her that way, but probably for different reasons.

He looked at her profile, and that soft pink mouth of hers. Definitely for different reasons.

They worked out the two teams and everyone filed out to get the vehicles ready. Hershel and Rick stayed behind to study the map. Rick waved Daryl over.

'I'm going to lead the fire crew,' Rick said. 'I fought wildfires before but I ain't ever started one. I think I could pick the right spot though. Daryl, I want you in charge of the leading crew. It ain't gonna be easy. You're gonna be working in the dark.'

Daryl looked at the map. There were several turn-offs on the highway. 'These junctions,' he said, pointing. 'Been along 'em with my bike. More or less clear of Walkers, and no wrecks. Roads ain't the problem, though. The cars we have, some ain't that reliable.'

Rick put his hands on his hips and breathed out through his nose. 'I was afraid of that. Keep people in groups of two cars, all right? Nobody goes off by themselves.'

…

The next few hours were a blur of packing. Beth put her meagre possessions in a backpack and sat it at the end of her bunk. It was just a few semi-clean clothes, a hairbrush and her diary. Then she packed up Judith's things, talking to the baby as she went. Judith lay on her back on the bunk, kicking her legs.

'Got more things than me, sweetheart. Look at all these clothes.' She packed Judith's things into another backpack and reached under the bunk for the boxes of formula. Just a few tins left. They were going to have to get more, whether they came back here or not.

She chewed her lower lip, looking at the tins in her hands.

'You packed?' Daryl was standing in the door to her cell.

Beth sighed, and put the formula in the pack. 'Yeah. Feels weird, packing up like we'll never come back here again. You know, I said to Maggie that this place was going to overrun.'

'Now there's a cheery fuckin' attitude.'

Beth grimaced. 'I know. I didn't actually mean it though. I was just feelin' frustrated.' She looked over at Daryl, all hard muscle and unreadable eyes. He wasn't going to tell her that things were going to be okay, and he wasn't going to make gloomy predictions either. He was just going to get on with things. She admired that.

'Well, you wanted some action,' he said. 'Today's your lucky day. I need someone to help me with the cars, see which we can take and which are cactus. You in?'

Beth nodded, and took Judith through to Carol to watch.

The sun was turning the yard a blazing orange when they got outside. They cast their eye over the motley collection of vehicles parked on the concrete.

'How many do we need?' Beth asked.

'Six or seven.'

Beth counted eight cars and Daryl's bike. 'All right. I'll start that end, you start the other. One lap of the inner fence enough?'

Daryl nodded, and they got to work, revving the engines, checking the brakes and gears and taking them down to the fence, around and back up again. In the end only one car was too unreliable, stalling for no reason.

Beth got out of the last car and slammed the door shut. She came over to his car and stood beside him, both leaning against the sun-warmed metal, watching the fences. They would be leaving in a few hours. Somewhere out there was the herd, bearing down on them.

'You know, I don't really fancy going out there now,' she said, and gave a little laugh.

Daryl watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was calm, not going to pieces at the thought of the herd bearing down on them. 'You're gonna look after yourself. You'll be fine.'

'I like hearing you say that.' She turned to him, a mischievous smile on her lips. 'Maybe we should go check the tunnels.'

 _Goddamn._ Now that she'd said it it was all he wanted to do. He'd be able to restrain himself if it weren't for her not-so-innocent little looks and suggestions. She was daring. He hadn't expected that. She was naïve, but that didn't stop her from putting herself into his hands in a way he struggled to resist. He hadn't had a woman in more than a year and now wasn't the time. But a few hard kisses, that would turn this day from shitty and dangerous into something sweet for a few minutes. Something he could carry with him while he led the herd away from their home.

'We've got things to do. Dangerous things,' he said.

'Yeah,' she agreed. 'Want to not think about them for a while?'

The sun was only just setting. They had time. He jerked his head toward the prison. 'Go on then. I'm followin'.'

When they'd gone down into the tunnels and made two turns, leaving the sounds of people in the blocks far behind them, Daryl grasped her waist and spun her toward him. He backed her into the wall, his hands on her, feeling the slender suppleness of her. Her mouth was parted as he kissed her, and she made little noises at the back of her throat as his tongue caressed hers.

Feeling bold, feeling reckless, his hand slid down the outside of her jeans, cupping her between the legs. She gasped against his mouth and pulled him closer. They didn't have enough time, he wasn't going to get carried away, but he wanted to hear how she wanted him. And he wanted to feel it, too.

'Did you get wet before, when we kissed?' he asked, pulling away slightly but rubbing slow circles over where he knew her clit was. Goddamn, he shouldn't be doing this. He'd only kissed her for the first time that day.

Her eyes were heavy lidded, and she nodded. He knew she'd be wet, now, and getting swollen beneath his touch. Okay, maybe they had a little bit of time.

'Ever touched yourself, late at night, thinking about me?'

She nodded again, her cheeks growing pink in the dim light. God, he could picture just how she'd look, those slim, pale fingers dipping between her legs, getting hot and breathless, panting faster and faster.

'What was I doin' to you?' he growled.

Her head fell back against the wall, looking up at him, letting him hold her up as she enjoyed the feeling of his fingers against her.

'Licking me,' she whispered.

Goddamn. What a good fuckin' idea. He stopped rubbing and undid her jeans, watching her face closely as he peeled them slowly down her legs. Her hands gripped his shoulders, steadying herself as he pulled her feet out of them. He straightened and kissed her again, his fingers going back to circle over her clit, this time over the wet, gauzy fabric of her panties.

'Want me to do that now?'

Her eyes were closed now. 'Yes.'

His fingers slipped beneath the elastic and easily between her wet, slippery folds. He buried his face in her neck as he rubbed in slow strokes.

'God, Beth. That feels like goddamn heaven.'

Then he sank to his knees, hooking one leg over his shoulder. He pulled her panties to one side, parted her with his fingers and licked her, his tongue rubbing over her swollen clit. She buried her hands in his hair and gasped. One of his fingers found her entrance and slipped inside of her. Not deep, just enough to feel how tight and hot she was. He licked her slowly, rhythmically, listening to her breathing, the little sounds she was making. The sound of her orgasm building. Her hands caressed his neck, then his wrist, pulling his finger deeper into her. He used two fingers, pushing a little deeper, feeling a thud of heat as she responded to the feel of him.

She was gasping his name, and _yes_ and _please_ over and over, almost incoherent. He pushed deeper, middle and ring finger, not thinking, needing to feel her as much as she was feeling him. She cried out, pulling him closer, and he felt her begin to tighten around his fingers, coming closer to her climax. She tasted sweet and musky at the same time, and so hot against his tongue.

And then she was clutching his head with her hands, the thigh hooked over his shoulder tightening, and she was clenching around his fingers inside her, muscles moving in waves.

Her body loosened, and her head fell back. Daryl kissed her thigh, listening to her breathing.

'Jesus Christ, Daryl.'

'Licking you like that?' he asked.

She laughed softly. 'Something like that.'

He withdrew his fingers, and saw they were bloodied. He cursed. He'd got carried away, pushed too deep.

'What's wrong?' she asked, looking down.

'Nothin', just … did I hurt you?'

She saw the blood and bit her lip, smiling. 'Oh. Just for a second. I wondered what that was.'

He stood, wiped the blood on his dark pants where it wouldn't show, and pulled her into his arms. She felt so deliciously soft and hot in his arms, languid from coming.

After a few minutes he helped her dress, and then followed her back to the block, trying not to think that it was done now, he wouldn't hurt her, he could thrust into her hard and deep, feeling that tightness around him and not worry that he'd hurt her. _Stop it. You got shit to do now._ But it was hard to think of anything else.

…

It was close to midnight and all the engines were running. Rick was going from car to car, each lined up waiting to head out of the gates. Daryl watched from his bike, the engine throbbing between his legs. When Rick was finished he got in the leading car and headed out.

Daryl waited till the cars in the fire group had rolled out of the gates, then looked back at his crew. Beth rode with Carol, each of them looking calm, but fierce. Judith was between them, out of sight. There were four more cars behind them. Everyone was tense, but determined.

He took one last look at Beth, and she smiled a smile of pure sweetness at him. He could feel the ghost of her tight around his fingers and his mouth twitched, nearly smiling himself.

He gunned the engine of his bike. 'Let's get these fuckers,' he called, leading them out of the prison gates and toward the herd.

…


End file.
